News Archive

By Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director When Amsterdam’s Liberal Jewish community moved into a modern new synagogue in the southern part of the city in 2004, tensions between Dutch Jews and Muslims were rising. The September 11 attacks, Mideast tension, and the murder of Dutch…

By Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director After the Spanish Inquisition and the 1492 expulsion, Jewish life in Spain vanished. But slowly, over the past 150 years, Judaism has returned, especially in Barcelona. An estimated 7,000 to 10,000 Jews support six synagogues in the city, three…

Although 2020 has been a difficult year globally, there have been some positive steps to counter antisemitism, racism, and xenophobia. You can see some of the positive developments thus far in this video and learn more about NOA here.

Many Jews have long criticized the European Union for being anti-Israeli, favoring the Palestinians, and being weak on Iran and other Arab threats. The Israeli government itself likes to say that there is no long-term future for Jews in Europe and encourages them to make Aliyah.

Networks Overcoming Antisemitism (NOA) offers a pioneering approach to tackle the problem of rising antisemitism in Europe. With its unique partnership of major Jewish organisations, including the EUPJ, it will evaluate EU Member States’ policies across areas, from education to culture and security, and help…

By Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director A Roman Catholic priest plays tennis with a rabbi. A Protestant minister discusses the merits of meditation with a Buddhist monk. In one role-playing activity, an imam acts as a rabbi and a priest simulates the part of a…

This week, the world commemorated #WorldHumanitarianDay. The EUPJ supports the efforts of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and has partnered with the European arm of the organisation in various humanitarian aid projects. In Europe, HIAS has been giving legal assistance to refugees in Greece since…

By Ilan Cohn, Director of HIAS Europe Igor Chubaryov’s grandparents fled from pogroms. His parents left Ukraine with other Jews after the Nazis attacked. When he was 24 years old, he escaped Russian persecution and resettled in New York. Now Chubaryov helps fellow refugees as…

The European Commission (EC) and UNESCO, as well as Twitter and the World Jewish Congress (WJC), are joining forces to raise awareness about conspiracy theories online. As part of this initiative, a new series of infographics has been published to support citizens. The infographics provide…

The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) mourns the passing of our dedicated leader, long-time supporter, and dear friend, Paula Edelstein, Z”L, following a long and brave battle with illness. Paula was an advocate and pioneer for Reform Judaism, serving on the boards of many influential...